Monkey at the Movies: Marvel Phase 3

Alrighty then- I guess this is my last session of being a Marvel fangirl (…for now 😉). You know the drill now- I get dressed up and there will be spoilers. And since this is such an explosive part of the story, let’s start this with a *bang* shall we? (cos heads up: I have a lot of controversial opinions coming up)

Captain America: Civil War– yeahhh there’s no easy way to say this- this wasn’t exactly what I wanted. All the reviews told me that “it’s so hard to pick a side” and “both of them have a point”… and I didn’t think that at all. I was *freedom* and #teamCap all the way. I know a lot of people like this movie, cos they say it’s nuanced, but I just thought Stark was wrong and that was that. I think after all the trouble Stark caused in Age of Ultron, he could have taken a step back, rather than screwing everyone else over for his mistakes and robbing them of their rights. Also, again I’m on the POOR BUCKY train. And I ain’t ever getting off. Again, I get that people see why Stark is angry with the Cap/Bucky- but IT’S NOT HIS FAULT (and maybe if Tony got his head out of his arse he’d see that) (oh gosh I’m gonna have all the Iron Men coming after me for that, aren’t I?) So yeah, I’m still a tad frustrated with this movie. I think I expected wayyy too much out of this one, thinking there would be some serious debate, and it didn’t deliver. One massive plus though was the introduction of Holland’s Spiderman 😀 And it does set up plenty for Infinity War and that’s not a bad thing.

3½/5 bananas

Spider Man: Homecoming– I’ve gotta admit, cos the Spiderman market is so oversaturated of late, this was one of the movies I was least keen to see… and it ended up being one of the best! Go figure 😉 But who’s complaining? This was a great Spiderman story. From the moment that Marvel logo rolled in, I realised Spiderman had come home. Thankfully, there were no origin stories, no campy villains. This was just pure fun. Finally, finally Spiderman felt like a proper kid. It did feel a little choppy with the opening and I wasn’t crazy about how wrapped up it was with Tony Stark. I probably could have done without it being quite so high tech (even if I get why it was used). However, it was cool that he created the web himself, like in the comics. And omg Stan Lee telling off Spidy was hilarious. It’s genuinely the funniest rendition of Spidy I’ve seen. The characters were also superb- both MJ and Peter were so cute. And it really ends on a high- especially with that end credit scene where May finds out! I even loved Donald Glover’s small role. Basically, there’s an awful lot to love about this movie!

4½/5 bananas

Black Panther– this movie was clearly a labour of love- and I loved it for that! From the beautiful aesthetic to the way the soundtrack blended with the setting, this movie came together in a charming way. Some people have been saying that it’s typical superhero fare- and that’s true- yet that’s all I’ve ever wanted from my superhero films. The opening was intriguing and set up for some surprisingly deep drama. I liked how it reflected real world issues, dipped its toes into some dark waters, yet didn’t become overshadowed by these themes. Instead, the focus of the movie was on taking the mantle of the father and trying to be better. All of this tied in so well with the villain- who was both relevant and unhinged enough to be entertaining. I especially loved how it presented the “monsters of our making” idea. For me, this went beyond being a simple action flick. The tension and emotions were all on point. I was moved by the lovable characters and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I’m happy to say Black Panther more than lived up to expectations. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the (slightly unpopular opinion) that I enjoyed it more than Infinity War… though we’ll get to more on that in a minute. *This* is how you do a superhero movie!

5/5 bananas

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2– first off: I LOVED the villain in this movie. I know a lot of people don’t think this is as good as the first one… but I think it’s better. The journey is so personal. And it’s ridiculously emotional. What’s clever about these movies is how they consistently add the family drama element to this saga. Not only does it explore the found family element so well, it also makes me more invested in the characters and ties in spectacularly with Infinity War (…more on that soon I promise…). All of this coupled with the fact it’s packed with funny, cute, emotional moments meant this was an out of this world experience!

5/5 bananas

Doctor Strange– this was very average for a Marvel movie, but an interesting start. Personally, I found Doctor Strange an okay character- not too enthralling, not too dull. I think my main takeaway was that he’s a poor man’s Tony Stark- slightly egotistical, allegedly very special. And I say allegedly cos aside from being a proven surgeon, there isn’t actually an explanation as to *why* he’s so special. It’s (rather frustratingly) repeated throughout the plot, there’s no explanation for his magical talent. Is it his intellect? Determination? Random natural selection? I just wanted to be given something. Ultimately, there was enough to this movie that I didn’t have a bad time while watching it, yet it failed to blow me away. The villain was meh, however, I do kinda want to see more of this character to get to the heart of what makes him tick.

3/5 bananas

Thor: Ragnarok– unpopular opinion: I wasn’t crazy about this movie. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m just super fussy with movies- cos everyone loved this movie, and I just didn’t. The tone and subject matter were endlessly jarring. I kept getting muddled about what I was supposed to be feeling in a lot of really intense action end-of-the-world scenes that were played for shits and giggles. A lot of the jokes didn’t land for me- it was too weird to take the subject matter of Ragnarok, with all its emotionally hard-hitting elements, and slam it into a buddy-comedy vibe. There’s an outstanding review for this movie over on Re-enchantment of the World, where they get into a lot more detail about why this doesn’t totally work- but one thing that they brought up that I will mention is how it was funny, but weightless. I think that about sums it up. There could have been *a lot* more substance to this movie. As much as it occasionally made me laugh, I came out of this feeling disappointed and empty (I do like the soundtrack though).

2½/5 bananas

Avengers: Infinity War– it’s probably pretty clear to you from all these reviews that I’ve become a little obsessed with this movie. I can’t help but mention it in virtually every other review. It’s a testament to the power of this movie. So let it be said, for the record, that I really liked Infinity War… but it felt like half a movie. I feel like I’m reserving judgement on it until I see how it ends. Months after I watched it and I’m still uncertain about some elements. It does blend the multiple storylines pretty well, but a lot of the ideas for defeating Thanos seemed jumbled together. There’s simply so much going on and a lot of it is too inconclusive for me to make my mind up about it. That said, this has some emotional punch. I mean… wow. I can’t believe they went there. Most of my favourites ended up dead. For that alone, it’s going to be remembered as a landmark movie. And it’s definitely got me looking up all the fan theory videos and wondering who made the worst decision (I’m going with Peter- yeah Thor had the chance to win and failed, but obviously the real fault lies with Peter losing his head… though can you blame him? He’s only human- let’s hope he redeems himself in the next movie). Of course, I really loved the fact this was very much about Thanos- he’s such a domineering character. Even if I still can’t make total sense of his logic (I mean, the population will continue to grow and resources will continue to diminish… so surely it makes more sense to focus your effort on increasing resources?) I liked that this focused on his sense of family and loss. It was super well done. My only issue that remains is I don’t think I can judge this as a standalone movie… please don’t snap me out of existence for saying as much 😉

4½/5 bananas

… although my opinion on this movie is subject to change…

Ant-Man and the Wasp– Yeesh- this one really allows us to see the accords in action and I KNEW I WAS RIGHT. It sucks so much. At the risk of returning to my rant at the start, Stark was wrong, he made a Frankenstein-style error and then decided to rectify that by punishing all of humanity. It makes sense that he had the arrogance to play god and then thought that he could rectify his mistakes by being an authoritarian… BUT GAHFJFJJKND WHAT A DOUCHESCHNOZZLE!!! So, back to the movie. Iron Man has forced a bunch of (more or less) innocent people on the run and made the best father ever have to hide out in his house. Much like the first one, I loved the shrinking tech in this film- they do it in such a fun way. The villain had a personal connection to the story- alas also pretty forgettable. This was definitely what I’d class as an entertaining romp of a movie… until that end credit scene- when HOLY HELL we see what’s at stake for Infinity War! (yes, it had to go back to that again 😉) If you do like Marvel movies, I can safely say this is enjoyable and a great place for me to end these reviews 😀

4/5 bananas

Alrighty then- I know I’ve gone against the grain on a couple of these- so I’m curious to know: do you agree or disagree with any of my thoughts on Marvel Phase 3? Let me know in the comments!

I just watched Black Panther the other day and I have to say, I found it to be some of the laziest and worst writing I can remember noticing in a LONG time. The whole premise is based on “tradition” which is how the badguy challenges the King. Of course, he and EVERYONE ignores the tradition of only challenging on specific days and with specific audiences, etc. Then everyone ignores tradition again and burn the special flower (“someone” in the directors seat has got to be a pot smoker, sheeesh) at the king’s command. Then all the men ignore tradition YET AGAIN near the end and ignore Black Panther’s continuing the challenge against the bad guy.
Come on, a little consistency would have been nice. Other than that, I found it a servicable movie.

Now, Thor: Ragnarok, THAT was everything I wanted in an MCU movie 😀 Actually got it and Guardians of the Galaxy for Christmas.

I’m hoping to see the MCU up through the next Infinity War movie. That and the next spiderman movie are where I am thinking of stopping buying any more. If Cpt Marvel is the leading indicator of where the MCU is headed, then i’ll be done permanently.

Goodness, that went on longer than I anticipated! I’ve really enjoyed these posts….

hahaha I like your point about someone being a pot smoker. I think that’s a fair point about the plotholes. I’ve definitely heard people saying things like that (and more 😉 ) and a lot of people do think of it as more “adequate” than brilliant- for me, it just ticked all the right boxes at the right moment- I liked the characters and story.

I’m glad you got more out of ragnarok than I did 🙂

I hear you- I’m both curious and nervous to see where Marvel goes next (and have a couple of things I don’t want to happen eg Captain Marvel, new to the team, magically solving all the problems) Like you, at the moment I just want to see infinity war part 2 and Spiderman 2. I’m definitely scared they’re gonna do a star wars and ruin everything.

Great reviews! Of course, I personally liked Thor 3 in a “what were you smoking when your wrote this?…but I somehow enjoy the stupid humor of it” kind of way. My wife who loves Ant-Man is hoping that that end-credit scene means he’s going to be the one to save the day in the second half of Infinity War.

1. I think it was a bit hypocritical of Iron Man to turn around and be the brown noser in Civil War when his first two Iron Man movies basically guaranteed he would be on the opposite side. Like he was REALLY against the government limiting his powers and authority, and then all of a sudden he was flipped to the extreme? And MAD at Cap for still believing in what he not to long ago also believed in? I get that he was “shook” by that mother who accused him of killing her son, but like… I just don’t believe that he would flip that extremely and that easily…I mean…it’s Tony Stark…he doesn’t really give off the “I am a man of the people” vibes… ***unpopular opinion**
2. Spiderman and Black Panther are two of my all time favorite Marvel movies. They are two of very few that I have seen dozens of times after seeing them initially. I think they were both well done, and somehow slightly different than the rest of the pack.
3. I also did NOT like Ragnorok. My brothers get so angry with me but idk, it just wasn’t for me. It was ok. Definitely funny, but just subpar in terms of super hero movies if you ask me.

The only things I disagree with you about are Guardians 2 and Ant Man/Wasp. I just didn’t like those movies as much as their first ones. BUT from what I can tell, we have very similar tastes when it comes to this franchise. I can’t wait to see what you think of End Game when it finally comes out next month…

Ahh that is such a great point about it flipping tony stark’s character and yes it is so hypocritical. What I find really frustrating is that he messed up and rather than having some character growth, he decides to just go full authoritarian? NO- I am not okay with that (haha I thought I got all the rants out of my system, apparently not 😉 )
2. I absolutely loved those movies too!!! 😀 Definitely think they’re up there as favourites for me as well 🙂
3. I am so relieved not to be the only one with ragnarok- so many people get mad at me for that opinion, but it really didn’t do it for me either.
That’s fair- I know a lot of people weren’t blown away by the second guardians in particular and a lot of people thought ant man and the wasp was just okay. And that makes sense if you didn’t like the first ones. Thank you!! 😀

Excellent reviews! I feel similar with all, except I did love Ragnarok. I’ve never been a huge Spiderman fan, but loved Homecoming and Spider-Verse was really good as well. I agree, Black Panther turned out to be a favorite! What a beautiful movie and the soundtrack. 😍 Kendrick Lamar “All The Stars” is a favorite.

Thank you!! Fair enough- you’re in the majority there 😉 And that’s great you loved both of those, even not being a big Spidy fan (I still need to watch spider-verse- but I’m really looking forward to it!) So glad you agree about black panther!! Ahh yes- the soundtrack was awesome!! Thank you so much for reading! ❤

Thanks for the shout out 😀
Yeah, really didn’t like Civil War as it was another lost chance at creating something meaningful. MCU took the nuanced, realistic concept from the Millar’s wonderful comic book and trivialized it to the extreme, managing to spoil both Iron Man and Cap’s characters 😛 Iron Man is like a dumb, spoiled baby, but Cap is not much better, because there’s no rationale for his actions except his undying love for Bucky.
I’m with you on Infinity War – it seemed more than a bit chaotic and strained, but I’m too waiting to see the Endgame to see how IW holds up and ties into the second part. I thought they actually went too far – I was really moved by Loki’s and Gamora’s story arcs; but by the end of the movie I was like “yeah, they’ll bring them all back” and all the emotional impact was lost ;). Thanos was great in that movie!

You’re welcome! 😀
I’m really glad to hear I’m not the only one that felt that way about civil war. I totally hear you! hehe I can understand that (although I sympathised with the cap more 😉 and given the absence of any actual arguments, just fell back on a lot of my own world views there tbh)
Yeah there were a lot of things going on and it felt like a prequel. I was really moved by those earlier deaths as well, but like you, I didn’t buy into the other ones- I definitely agree with you there. He really was!

I agree with some but yeah I probably fall on the other side for more. I loved Captain America and Thor Ragnorak. I do prefer Iron man to Cap but can admit Cap was on the right side of that. I think I just liked the conflict. I was not a fan of Black Panther, it’s not bad, I just found it dull.

I do agree on Dr Strange although to be honest I’ve never actually managed to watch to the end.

fair enough! I have a lot of unpopular opinions 😉 I’m glad you think cap was right at least! And it was a good battle/conflict to be fair. Ah a lot of people thought that one was generic- and I totally get that- it was one of the reasons I liked it so much.

YES!!! I am so with you!! Team Cap all day everyday!! Tony was all kinds of wrong.

Tom Holland is the best Spiderman imho. The movie was amazing. I think a part of it is that the actors actually look like high school teens. Plus it’s a funny movie and I didn’t have to watch Uncle Ben die. Again.

Unpopular opinion: not a fan of any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Love their soundtracks though.

Thor: Ragnarok was the best Thor movie.

Dr. Strange was so boring.

Black Panther blew me away!

Antman and the Wasp was so much better than I thought it would be. And that final scene was a lot of “whoa”

Infinity War had a lot going on lol. But at least Cap is safe. For now?

Team Tony all the way 🙂 Leaving out the personality differences and clashes I thought his was the more pragmatic and realistic response to the larger political element at play. Again I couldn’t help but think in the real world a lot of governments and people would be screaming for their heads and the bombing would have been icing on the cake. Tony even says this is what we have to do for now so they don’t have it done to them. I think it was the businessman at play.

I mean it’s an interesting debate and I see Caps points as well I really do. And his argument that no matter what ‘ours are still the safest hands,’ (ours or his?) well he does kind of blow that apart with his actions over Bucky.

I’m pretty sure T’Challa is the only one that comes out of that movie looking like an adult in control of his emotions and even that is only at the end.

Thor: Ragnorak was fun but it was like several different movies crammed into one that wasted a great actress/villainess and some great family history there for what essentially amounted to not much.

I thought Black Panther (like a lot of these movies) fell apart in the last act. I enjoyed a lot of Guardians2 but I thought Drax passed the point from funny to mean with his stuff with Mantis though they managed to pull it back in Infinity War.

Great reviews! And in a few weeks we’ll know how Endgame well, ends it.

Ah well I guess I don’t have a pragmatic response 😉 Honestly, I do expect that kind of thing in the real world- but let’s just say I’m not a fan of authoritarian governments restricting the liberties of innocent citizens (under the guise of protecting the very people whose rights they are infringing). The problem is I thought he was driven more by guilt and anger, rather than logically thinking through the arguments. And that’s not to say there weren’t any arguments to be made- he just didn’t make them. What I thought Cap meant by that is not to give power to other people who might/would abuse it- and he has a point, given he fought the Nazis and Hydra (especially when it operated within Shield). It’s not that he doesn’t think he’ll ever make mistakes- but that they should be his mistakes to make- not controlled by someone else. haha fair point about T’Challa though.

yeah ragnarok felt like lots of movies- that’s a great way to put it! Ah I do agree- especially since it ends with the fall of asgard- it could’ve been so good.

That’s fair- I’ve heard that pov. Oh yeah you’re totally right about Drax- I just thought it added to him being not that sympathetic (and to emphasising that the cast weren’t all good).

Okay, Civil War, I’m going to politely disagree with you now. I think Tony is on the side he is on BECAUSE he screwed up with Ultron. He knows he took things too far, and he knows Banner did too, and he wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I think Tony is scared that if checks aren’t put on the supers, any one of them could go create another Ultron (or similar problem). Though he definitely needs to give Bucky a break, and even though I (think????) I disagree with him, I 100% see where he was coming from. I love Civil War. Unpopular Opinion: I liked Black Panther BETTER in Civil War than I did in his movie… I also really enjoyed Peter Parker as being a proper kid! Toby McGuire and Andrew Garfield (even though I loved loved LOVED him) were both very serious. It was good to see some fun brought back into the character! I love his banter with Tony in Civil War! (Obviously I just like Civil War…)

I am also reserving judgement on Infinity War. Problem: We can’t get anyone to watch the kids for us while we go see Captain Marvel, so I don’t know that we’ll get to it before it leaves theaters, SO HOW WE WILL SEE END GAME?!?!?!

Oh yeah that’s what I meant by him acting out of guilt. But my issue is that HE created the problem with HIS hubris- and the correct/humble response would have been to accept responsibility and not expect others to pay for his mistake. He’s asking other people to give up their freedom because he did something irresponsible and stupid. He could probably make a good argument for criminal negligence against himself- but the people that helped clean up his mess don’t deserve to have their rights and freedoms infringed upon. And to think that they could make similar mistakes is tantamount to accusing them of pre-crime (or some other sci fi term, not sure what it’s called). It’s not that I don’t see where he’s coming from- just, I really disagreed with his “logic” and it really irritated me. So I can understand why you liked it- cos it’s not like it’s lacking in the characterisation department- I’m just probably being a bit harsh on it for not making me think more 😉 Fair enough. And it was so great to see Peter Parker as a proper kid!! I’ve wanted that for such a long time!! hehe don’t worry, it makes sense, and I did like the banter too 😉

Ahh I completely understand- I’m not sure how I’m currently going to wangle it with my work schedule. I hope you get to the theatres though!!

Okay okay okay, so we just watched Into the Spiderverse last night, and BEST VERSION OF SPIDERMAN EVER!!!! I also love that they made a super hero movie for kids, because all of the hero movies since the 80s it seems like have been aimed at adults! But even though Spiderverse was kid-friendly, it was definitely still enjoyeble for me as an adult because it was SO STINKING GOOD. And, of course, loved that spidey was a kid. Also loved that spidey was an adult…

I have read that Infinity War is basically one long movie split into 2 and it does feel that way – I enjoyed it a lot but the ending was such a big cliffhanger it didn’t feel complete or a proper movie.

The only other movie in this post that I’ve watched (so far) is Black Panther, which I thought was really fun!

But these two movies got me to realise that the MCU can be a little hard to follow along – my parents also watched these (and a few others) but they were still very confused about the timeline, especially for Infinity War.

Yesss! I agree with most of your ratings wholeheartedly. I’m unashamedly always Team Cap 😉

I enjoyed Thor Ragnarok a little more than you did, I think, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to storyline. I’m a big fan of Taika Waititi which may have blinded me to the holes or inconsistencies!

Black Panther forever, though ❤ As a South African, I genuinely cried during the scene where T'Challa sees his father in the dream world and they speak in Xhosa. Representation-wise, the movie was so important and showed such incredible, complex, funny, strong women. And I thought the storyline was great, too! I watched it in theatres three times 😉

Yay for phase 3! I also loved black panther 🙂 Doctor strange is acutally one of my top favorite ones but I get that it’s not for everyone. I didn’t like the humor in guardians 2 but it was still fun. And I’m glad you liked antman and the wasp, it was an awesome sequel 😀

Once again I agree with so many of your opinions! In Civil War, I never really thought it was much of a choice between Cap and Tony, but maybe that’s just a testament to how much I love Cap ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And Spider-Man and Black Panther are both masterpieces! I feel like Marvel really hit their stride with those ones. I gotta say, though, that Thor Ragnorok has been one of my fave Marvel movies, so I guess we disagree there! But I was also extremely shook by what they did in Infinity War…. 😳 Have you seen Captain Marvel yet?

I adore these reviews. I’m with you on Civil War, team Cap all the way!!! I think my main gripe about Civil War was that it felt more like a mini-Avengers film than a pure Captain America film. Robert Downey Jr is brilliant, but there’s a tendency for Iron Man to steal the spotlight over other characters. In all honesty, I just adore the bromance between Bucky and Steve. I will stand by those two forever!

Doctor Strange wasn’t my favourite either. I just didn’t feel like this film contributed anything major to the MCU as a whole. It was basically an average film for me.

I actually loved Ragnarok, but it did baffle me how they basically turned the “end of days” event in Norse mythology into an action comedy. I just love the banter with Loki/Thor/Hulk.

Infinity Wars!!!! That film crushed me. I love how they made Thanos out to be a legitimate villain! I’m curious to see how they wrap this up in Endgame, but I am dreading the likely sacrifices that will be made in the process.

I think Civil War would’ve worked well had Tony Stark not messed up in Ultron, because then his stubborness in Civil War just made him look like an ass haha. Like, you mess up THAT much in Ultron, and you shouldn’t have the right to be THAT assertive in Civil War. 😂

I also liked Homecoming! It made Peter Parker feel like a legit kid, which I found really endearing. But I’m with you on Ragnarok, which I didn’t love either. Like, it was super fun, but I’ve never been a fan of how there’s so much whiplash between comedy and drama in Marvel in general, which is why these movies are often a hit or miss for me. But of course, they’re just meant to be in all good enjoyment, so I still watch ’em regardless lol. 😛

Yes, Team Cap all the way! It felt like a lot of the conflict was so artificial. Since when did Tony care about rules? But I still enjoyed the film.

I really loved Homecoming and Black Panther, I think those are in my top 5 for sure. I’m sorry you didn’t like Thor: Ragnarok! I loved that movie. I thought it was so much fun and of course Loki is there so…yeah. I loved Dr. Strange too, maybe I’m just not critical enough on superhero movies, haha. 😀

I LOVED Spider Man: Homecoming! ❤ Spider Man is probably my favourite superhero. I actually enjoy all the movie versions of him in some way, though I'm probably biased as he has been my favourite superhero since I was very little. 😀
To no ones surprise (if you know me that is), I haven't watched the other movies. I really want to watch Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Thor: Ragnarok. Amazing post, as always! 🙂